This weblog was created to act as a platform for the voice of secular pro-democracy activists in and outside Iran who are struggling against the religious dictatorship of the Islamic clerics in Iran.
My favourite quote:
"Evil only prevails when the good stay silent"

Friday, March 23, 2007

Iranian Teachers in Evin Prison

Its the Iranian New Year, Nowrooz, and hundreds of Iranian teachers are in Evin prison. They should have spent Nowrooz with their families, around the Haft-Sin table waiting for the exact hour, minute and second when the Spring Equinox takes place. Their children should be thinking of nothing but their new clothes, and their new presents. Yet all they have on their mind is when will Mum or/and Dad come home?

What is the "crime" of Iranian teachers? Why are they in prison? According to the Islamic Republic, they have threatened the national security of the regime by peacefully demonstrating for a better standard of living!! What an insecure regime this Islamic Republic is that its security is so easily threatened. In fact all the teachers have asked for, is the enactment of a public sector pay bill passed by the parliament!

I wish I had time and could translate this article in this Iranian blog:http://sajjadkhaksari.blogfa.com/It is written by a reporter who got mixed up with the hundreds of teachers who were arrested. More than 50 plain clothes agents on motor bikes attack the teachers, and the reporter is taken along with the rest of the teachers to an abandoned house, where cleric judges decide who should go to Evin prison in summary trials that last only a few minutes. He then describes how these ordinary decent people were treated. How men and women, old and young were beaten up and what kind of vulgar insults were hurled at the women teachers. How their headscarfs were pulled off and when the male teachers stood up for their female colleagues, how badly they were beaten up.

The army conscripts seem to be apologetic and sorry. One of them tells the inmates "Please forgive me for what they have made me do to you". But the plain clothes cavemen seem to be from another planet or another age! Everyone is asking "what kind of animals are they? Don't they have wives and kids themselves? Where are they from?"

And it wouldn't surprise me, if one day we find out these cavemen were imports from Iraq. May be Moqtada Sadr's followers who have escaped from Iraq recently.

12 comments:

Everyone is asking "what kind of animals are they? Don't they have wives and kids themselves? Where are they from?"

Answer to this question is simple: They are defending their own survival and they have to do it. Their existence is depended on the regime's existence and if they don't do it, then their regime will collapse and they have to die. People will tear them apart. Thats why they have to be like that and moreover their idealogy, i.e Shia Islam, makes them believe in what they do and that they are doing this to go to paradise at the end. Nothing else matters to them. They'll sell their own kids and wives if they have to. they are evil. Period!

I was one of the misguided youth of the previous generation who took part in Khomeini's Islamic revolution. To large extent some of my teachers influenced me to become anti-Shah. Now pupils of these protesting teachers will turn out to be opposition to the mullahs. What goes round will come round.

Hanif, Where have you been? I saw your weblog had ceased to exist long ago and thought you may have seen the light and put away all that nonsense.

So, is this yet another area of exclusive rights for the Left? Only the Left care about workers and teachers? Hmmm! I have news for you my student friend. Workers were treated shit throughout Eastern Europe and they rose up against those who pretended to be their vanguard. Workers are starving and treated like shit in North Korea and China. But in Sweden, Holland, Norway, Denmark, .... workers have a much better life. And guess what? The ones I mentioned are all monarchies :))

Grow up Hanif and as well as reading books, try to live amongst real people.

Azarmehr - I took time of activism for personal and health reasons. My blog is now back up and running.

You are a fan of SWP-bashing but your comments suggest you do not even know our views on the USSR, China and North Korea. Research it.

lol - I do live amongst real people. I live amongst poor students a discriminated against asian community and a shit poor white working class community who have had their homes taken over by private initiatives.

By the way Hanif, I was in a rush this morning while posting the comments. Forgive me for overlooking your statement when you said you were off for health reasons. I hope you are well and healthy and back to your usual self. Its nice to see you back in our debates. Wish you and your loved ones good health and a happy nowrooz to you as well.

The Communist society which will come about long after the revolution has not yet appeared anywhere. There have been glimmers of hope like the genuine revolution of 1917 in Russia, the Shoras in Iran and the Paris Commune etc.

Socialist revolution from below is possible in Iran. Check out Trotsky's theory of Permanent Revolution.

Two things here Hannif. Lets not waste time trying to bring about a system that has not appeared anywhere or has never worked when there are other models that have worked well.

Also Marx and Engels actually thought the Socialist revolution will be a global event and Socialism will not work in one country alone. They predicted it may start from advanced industrialist countries like England or Germany. Now you want to bring about this Socialist society from Iran??

Lets aim for a secular democracy for now and leave Socialism for Iran for a later date, hey Hanif?

About Me

Follow Me on Twitter @potkazar
--------------------------------------
Last time I was in Iran, was during the Islamic "cultural revolution". I hated what was taking place in front of my eyes.
Illiterate gangs of thugs attacking students and academics and telling them how a university must be run! Book stalls being attacked, with books torn up and burned.
I knew then that I had to do something to get rid of this scourge of clerics who had seized power in Iran.
My main objective in life is to help establish a secular democracy in Iran.
I believe the best way forward for Iran to be based on four pillars of Democracy, Secularism, Nationalism and Meritocracy.
Most countries that have adopted these principles have been prosperous, why shouldn't our people be one of them?